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ArtistsBillofRights.org reviews competitions and appeals seeking creative content, listing those that respect your copyrights and highlighting those that don't. Art Matters! publishes calls to artists, and not all of them may be compliant with ABoR's standards. Visit their site to learn more.

By Serendipity Art Design, 13 contributed posts
View all Serendipity Art Design's posts.About the author: Serendipity Art Design is written by artist Amber Martinez, a Southern Oregon artist who has painted on walls from Oregon to Cambodia! I believe in affordable, accessible art and enjoy creating large, bold paintings in contemporary styles, as well as creating classic portraits, landscapes and drawings when I have the time for such demanding and intricate work. I received my training at Southern Oregon Art School and Rogue Community College, as well as private lessons. See Amber's listing at the Southern Oregon artists Resource to learn more and make contact.

Greenhill Humane Society is having their 5th annual “Art for Animals” auction November 18th, 2011 and I will be donating several pieces…check it out at www.green-hill.org! There’s only one thing more fun than painting, and that is painting for a good cause! If you are a fellow artist and would like to donate a piece of original artwork, check out the submission guidelines here.

By Serendipity Art Design, 13 contributed posts
View all Serendipity Art Design's posts.About the author: Serendipity Art Design is written by artist Amber Martinez, a Southern Oregon artist who has painted on walls from Oregon to Cambodia! I believe in affordable, accessible art and enjoy creating large, bold paintings in contemporary styles, as well as creating classic portraits, landscapes and drawings when I have the time for such demanding and intricate work. I received my training at Southern Oregon Art School and Rogue Community College, as well as private lessons. See Amber's listing at the Southern Oregon artists Resource to learn more and make contact.

I am running a special this month to raise funds for a cause close to my heart…$50 will get you any painting that I have available for sale right now, and 100% of the money goes straight to New Life Fellowship in Cambodia, where I volunteered for almost two years. Go to my website, www.serendipityartdesign.com and click on the “Donate to Cambodia” page. Or just go directly to www.cambodiaoutreach.org and navigate to their “donate” page. Show me the receipt of your $50 donation, and take home your painting. Every $50 increment will get you another painting. I’m excited to see how this little fundraiser goes, and if it is successful, hope to get more artists enlisted for the cause and do some art pieces that feature scenes from places I visited during my stay in Cambodia. Because the paintings are rather large and difficult to ship, I’m only doing this as a local endeavor and require pick-up in person; however, if this proves successful, I will certainly offer shipping of pieces in the future. I can meet you anywhere between Central Point and Ashland, we’ll just have to coordinate schedules.

I am still very close friends with so many of the people I met while I was over there, and have a close connection with many of the families that have been helped by their work. New Life Fellowship provides free English, Computer, Office and Job skills training in the capital city of Phnom Penh, and they build community centers in the rural villages where they provide free health and sanitation education, better agricultural practices instruction, and provide small business start up funds. They have helped to put hundreds of underprivileged children through school as well as providing support to the family, if the family is present. I taught some of the English classes while I was there, I visited the community centers and even painted a few murals. Now that I’m back home, I am determined to find creative ways to continue to help such a worthy cause.

Please feel free to shoot me an email or a phone call if you have any questions or would like to request a custom piece in exchange for you $50 donation, which I would be happy to do 🙂

By Serendipity Art Design, 13 contributed posts
View all Serendipity Art Design's posts.About the author: Serendipity Art Design is written by artist Amber Martinez, a Southern Oregon artist who has painted on walls from Oregon to Cambodia! I believe in affordable, accessible art and enjoy creating large, bold paintings in contemporary styles, as well as creating classic portraits, landscapes and drawings when I have the time for such demanding and intricate work. I received my training at Southern Oregon Art School and Rogue Community College, as well as private lessons. See Amber's listing at the Southern Oregon artists Resource to learn more and make contact.

I have been looking out my office window the past couple weeks, seeing the empty field next to my office full of yellow and purple wildflowers, the hazy mountains behind, and it’s all I can do to sit tight and not abandon all for my easel and paints. The stuff that I’ve been doing recently has been more along the lines of “just for fun” and is more graphic and decorative in nature than the time-consuming, all-absorbing pieces that I used to churn out fresh out of art school – the stuff I used to do that qualified as “real art”. However, something in me is crying out for a challenge once again and I’ve been inextricably drawn to the lush landscapes I’ve been seeing lately. I’ve been looking with yearning glances at my neglected charcoal pencils collecting dust as I walk past them in the garage. It’s been such a busy season for so long that I’ve had to “back shelf” the painting urge, churning out quick and fun stuff in the spare moments I can muster, but I can feel that a re-emergence of my art’s true expression is fast approaching…I am looking forward to seeing what happens!

By Serendipity Art Design, 13 contributed posts
View all Serendipity Art Design's posts.About the author: Serendipity Art Design is written by artist Amber Martinez, a Southern Oregon artist who has painted on walls from Oregon to Cambodia! I believe in affordable, accessible art and enjoy creating large, bold paintings in contemporary styles, as well as creating classic portraits, landscapes and drawings when I have the time for such demanding and intricate work. I received my training at Southern Oregon Art School and Rogue Community College, as well as private lessons. See Amber's listing at the Southern Oregon artists Resource to learn more and make contact.

I was browsing through the paint aisle earlier today, when something bright and shiny caught my eye…a neon orange paint chip!! This color has become my new muse and you’ll be seeing a lot of it…until another paint chip jumps out at me. Here’s the first of more to come.

By Serendipity Art Design, 13 contributed posts
View all Serendipity Art Design's posts.About the author: Serendipity Art Design is written by artist Amber Martinez, a Southern Oregon artist who has painted on walls from Oregon to Cambodia! I believe in affordable, accessible art and enjoy creating large, bold paintings in contemporary styles, as well as creating classic portraits, landscapes and drawings when I have the time for such demanding and intricate work. I received my training at Southern Oregon Art School and Rogue Community College, as well as private lessons. See Amber's listing at the Southern Oregon artists Resource to learn more and make contact.

Click to view slideshow.I woke up this morning and could barely move, I was so sore from my big project this weekend…8 separate pieces measuring 4×4′ each, but had to be painted laid out all together like one big piece. That’s the best workout I’ve had in a long time! These panels are going up in the sanctuary at Joy Christian Fellowship, as part of their current remodel/update. I will post pics again as soon as we have them installed up on the wall…more coming soon!!

By Serendipity Art Design, 13 contributed posts
View all Serendipity Art Design's posts.About the author: Serendipity Art Design is written by artist Amber Martinez, a Southern Oregon artist who has painted on walls from Oregon to Cambodia! I believe in affordable, accessible art and enjoy creating large, bold paintings in contemporary styles, as well as creating classic portraits, landscapes and drawings when I have the time for such demanding and intricate work. I received my training at Southern Oregon Art School and Rogue Community College, as well as private lessons. See Amber's listing at the Southern Oregon artists Resource to learn more and make contact.

Here’s the progress so far at my new booth downtown, it’s almost done!! (Booth R19). I’m selling these at $25 each or $39.95 for a set of two. Get ’em while they’re hot!! Soaps are priced at $3.00 and $3.95.

By Serendipity Art Design, 13 contributed posts
View all Serendipity Art Design's posts.About the author: Serendipity Art Design is written by artist Amber Martinez, a Southern Oregon artist who has painted on walls from Oregon to Cambodia! I believe in affordable, accessible art and enjoy creating large, bold paintings in contemporary styles, as well as creating classic portraits, landscapes and drawings when I have the time for such demanding and intricate work. I received my training at Southern Oregon Art School and Rogue Community College, as well as private lessons. See Amber's listing at the Southern Oregon artists Resource to learn more and make contact.

Well, after a very long break from doing anything artistic, I’m finally back at it and crankin’ out some paintings!! I also picked up a new hobby along the way, and now am selling handmade soaps as well I’ve opened up a new booth at American Mercantile in downtown Medford, and will be displaying both my paintings and my handmade soap (for dirt cheap, by the way). I will be there for most of the day tomorrow, so come down and pay me a visit!!

By Serendipity Art Design, 13 contributed posts
View all Serendipity Art Design's posts.About the author: Serendipity Art Design is written by artist Amber Martinez, a Southern Oregon artist who has painted on walls from Oregon to Cambodia! I believe in affordable, accessible art and enjoy creating large, bold paintings in contemporary styles, as well as creating classic portraits, landscapes and drawings when I have the time for such demanding and intricate work. I received my training at Southern Oregon Art School and Rogue Community College, as well as private lessons. See Amber's listing at the Southern Oregon artists Resource to learn more and make contact.

Well, after a very long break from doing anything artistic, I’m finally back at it and crankin’ out some paintings!! I also picked up a new hobby along the way, and now am selling handmade soaps as well ☺ I’ve opened up a new booth at American Mercantile in downtown Medford, and will be displaying both my paintings and my handmade soap (for dirt cheap, by the way). I will be there for most of the day tomorrow, so come down and pay me a visit!!

By Serendipity Art Design, 13 contributed posts
View all Serendipity Art Design's posts.About the author: Serendipity Art Design is written by artist Amber Martinez, a Southern Oregon artist who has painted on walls from Oregon to Cambodia! I believe in affordable, accessible art and enjoy creating large, bold paintings in contemporary styles, as well as creating classic portraits, landscapes and drawings when I have the time for such demanding and intricate work. I received my training at Southern Oregon Art School and Rogue Community College, as well as private lessons. See Amber's listing at the Southern Oregon artists Resource to learn more and make contact.

Hi everyone, you can find me this Sunday at Bear Creek Park amphitheater doing facepainting for kids! The event is a city wide “Tailgate party” being put on by my church (Joy Christian Fellowship) and there will be free food and activities, a jumphouse for the kids, and of course an encouraging message preached by our wonderful pastor. We’ve done this annually for around 10 years or so now, but this will be the first time we’ve had it at the park. We’re hoping it will bring the community together for a perfect day in the park!

By Serendipity Art Design, 13 contributed posts
View all Serendipity Art Design's posts.About the author: Serendipity Art Design is written by artist Amber Martinez, a Southern Oregon artist who has painted on walls from Oregon to Cambodia! I believe in affordable, accessible art and enjoy creating large, bold paintings in contemporary styles, as well as creating classic portraits, landscapes and drawings when I have the time for such demanding and intricate work. I received my training at Southern Oregon Art School and Rogue Community College, as well as private lessons. See Amber's listing at the Southern Oregon artists Resource to learn more and make contact.

Ibegan a project last Sunday night that should have only taken half a day to finish…now here it is a whole week later, the painter’s tape still up and my painting junk sprawled all over the tiny bathroom (justified every time I see it by saying to myself that I’m just about to get to that…this evening, I’m sure). Procastination wouldn’t be such a problem if I were more aware of how much time has passed me by…I seem to lose track of days and here I am a week later saying, has it seriously been a whole week? How did that happen? So my plans this evening are to actually finish up in there and get some pics posted of the finished project. We’ll see if my intentions actually materialize!

I think part of the problem is that this is a project I have to do (for my dear mother…how could I say no?) and it is standing in between the project I really want to be doing (a big mural on my kitchen wall) so subconsciencly I’m protesting. In fact, I should be painting right now instead of sitting here writing in this blog…I think I’m just stalling now. Ok, here we go…1,2,3 go paint!!

**UPDATE May 28th**

Ok, so this has almost become a 1-day TWO WEEK LONG project…worked a little bit on it after this original post, got sidetracked, and finally tackled it this evening. This project is in the world’s tiniest bathroom, and I’m afraid the pattern is way too busy considering how close-up and claustrophobic in there everything is. I think I’m going to tone down the contrast by topping it off with a beige glaze. That will lessen the visual “severity” of the impact. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE this pattern in high contrast…just not over a wall that is a few inches away from my face at any angle! Here’s the pics of what I have so far (the very top isn’t done yet, I can’t decide to extend the stencil or do a painted faux border.)